Both Soviet atheists and medieval Christians studied Islam selectively rather than judicially.

Evidence

Where the atheist Russian and the Christian mediaeval points of view are most alike lies in the fact that they study Islam selectively, rather than in pursuit of an abstract and judicial assessment. The Russian has to have his ‘profound grasp of contemporary social processes’ in order to interpret Islam. That means that he has to consider Islam from a set point of view. He must be a Marxist-Leninist with a grasp of the current party-line, and he must not deviate into interest in Islam in itself. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1728

Categorization

• QUESTION: Where does the passage continue about the Russian’s required party-line adherence — what does ‘must not deviate into interest in’ lead to? Worth checking how the author distinguishes polemic from scholarship.